Firefox Apocalyptic
by The Fox Queen
Summary: She flushed. "Oh, Lord Thierry, I'm sorry. I didn't realize—" she stopped. I didn't realize your soulmate was almost killed, she almost said. Too bad her soulmate was the cause of it.
1. Chapter I

**A/N:** This goes for the whole story. I don't own any familiar characters, they belong to L.J. Smith. And that's all I'm going to do.

Hey, y'all! It's **The Fox Queen** here. This is my Night World fanfic, **Firefox Apocalyptic**. Don't ask me about the title—I think it sounds cool. :] Hope you enjoy. I don't know whether I should continue it or not; that's up to you guys. I'm hoping you guys will like it enough to say yes.

I hate it when people talk in chatspeak. Isn't that fascinating?

-Fox

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Firefox Apocalyptic

**Chapter I  
****Chapter Quote: **"That—that just repulsed me."

A black fox slinked through a thick forest in Vermont, towards the hidden base by the name of Altar. She paused when she heard a twig snap behind her, wary of any followers. She didn't want a dragon on her tail, and the information she held was too important to be risked getting caught by any 'wolves and 'shifters. After sniffing in stillness after a while, the fox didn't pick anything up and she continued on her way.

Finally, she reached a clearing. To the left of her was the ordinary forest she had been stalking through. To the right of her was the ordinary forest. To the south of her was her trail, and to the north of her was the ordinary forest that shimmered a tiny bit.

It wouldn't have been detectable to even a vampire eye, but the fox's well-developed night vision allowed it to witness a slight shudder that ran through the hologram every five minutes. She paused, waiting for the shudder. When it did, she was sure she was facing the right direction and took a step forward, and then stopped abruptly.

The fox sniffed again for any intruders or followers and then walked up to the hologram tree that had 'H+T' on it. The fox looked around quietly and then stepped forward, her cold nose touching the warm mist. It hit the '+' mark and then she was sucked in by a spell.

The fox shuddered as she was pulled for two seconds through blinding white light, and then she was on the other side of the hologram; specifically, inside of Altar. The fox looked around again and then broke into a run.

Finally, she reached a brown-brick, three-story building that she recognized as the guest rooms and morphed into an 18-year-old-young woman with freckles over her nose, strawberry blonde hair that tumbled down her back and gold-flecked dark brown eyes that were almost black. Those eyes were currently filled with disgust and terror from the news she'd just possessed. Leah Räv looked around anxiously, smoothing her jeans and panther shapeshifter fur-covered shirt with a sweaty palm.

And then she entered the building. Bright fluroescent lights blinded her temporarily and then she got to look around the place. There was tiled floor and wood paneling, along with a few couches. It looked like any hotel lobby. There was even an elevator for the disabled that led up to the second and third floor.

A witch looked up from a desk, three clipboards scattered carelessly around the surface. When she recognized the person, her eyes lit up. "Leah," she said warmly. "Just in time, too. Lord Thierry came this morning because Harmony was recently attacked by a dragon. He's sending some other people to here, in Altar, because it's unknown and safe. Why don't you go talk to him?"

Leah nodded numbly, still stunned from the information she'd aquired in Michigan, where Hunter Redfern's apprentice was making the threat come alive. "I will. Where is he?"

The witch pointed down the north hallway that was near the desk. The hallways contained rooms where the people of Circle Daybreak stayed. "Go until you find 115. Open that door and take an immediate right. That's where he is currently." Leah nodded and wandered down the hallway, her bright hazel eyes scanning the numbers. Finally, she reached room 115 and opened it, taking an immediate right.

"Lord Thierry?" she asked softly. The study was illuminated by lamplight and Thierry himself was sitting in a desk chair, his head in his hands. He didn't make a move to acknowledge Leah's presence. Leah ducked her head apologetically. "Sorry. Perhaps this wasn't the best time . . ." she was about to close the door.

"No. Wait," Thierry said. Leah was surprised how hoarse he sounded. He lifted his blonde head away from his hands and turned to look at Leah. His eyes were unfathomable pits, sunken and filled with sadness and guilt. For what, Leah would never know. "I apologize. Harmony was attacked and many got hurt. Hannah . . . she was almost killed. She's in the hospital section of Altar right now." Thierry gazed at Leah.

She flushed. "Oh, Lord Thierry, I'm sorry. I didn't realize—" she stopped herself. _I didn't realize your soulmate was hurt_, she almost said. "Well, may I come in?"

Thierry absently nodded and sighed through his nose. Leah opened the door a bit wider and closed the door behind her, sitting in a velvet chair next to a mahogany bookcase. "Yes, well, I have some news for you," Leah began.

"Ever since we discovered Delos Redfern, Hunter's been declared dead. Well, I found out that Hunter apparently took a made vampire under his wing until Delos got rid of him. The made vampire's name is Alec and, well, he's rumored to be even more ruthless than three Hunters combined. And he's gathering an army of his own."

Thierry's voice turned sharp. "How so?"

Leah shrugged helplessly. "Well, he's making made vampires out of homeless teenagers and others who he's sure the parents won't miss. It was kind of like that enclave that Rashel and Quinn busted, but it's worse. They're from all ages for the made vampire limit, up to nineteen to ten . . ." Leah broke off in a shudder. "I was sent out to spy on them and I was nearly caught twice, but they only thought I was a bothersome fox. I escaped, of course. And then, after I saw them bite a seven-year-old girl, that—that just repulsed me. So I left. And now, here I am." She smiled shakily at Lord Thierry.

He nodded. "Did you find anything about the Wild Power?" he asked.

"Yeah. There's this girl called Sarah Strange in California. Grandma Harman sent out some to watch over her before she was murdered. Apparently, one of Sarah's friends—Mal Harman—is the last Wild Power, but no one can be sure." Leah shrugged.

Thierry nodded. His voice had lost that rough, scratched voice of someone who'd been crying and now it was merely soft and subdued. "Thank you very much, Leah," he said sincerely. "You are truly help to Circle Daybreak."

Leah ducked her head. "It—it was nothing, Lord Thierry. Truly. I don't really have anywhere else to go."

Thierry smiled. "Nonetheless, you are still a great help. Now, if you'll excuse me; I'm going to go see Hannah in the hospital wing of Altar."

Leah nodded. "I hope she gets better, Thierry," she murmured. "How bad was it?"

Thierry's face visibly darkened. "There was a dragon. Keller, Galen, Quinn, Rashel and I were fighting it. Keller, of course, killed it with the others' help, but I heard a scream and then I was gone. Some shapeshifters had gotten into Harmony and . . . one had Hannah by the throat." He stopped. Apparently he was content with leaving off there. "It was terrible," he finished, his gaze dropping to the floor.

Leah nodded. The silence that followed was awkward, until Leah stood up with Thierry and he held the door open for her, following her out. Leah abruptly turned around. "Wait. Celeste—that's the secretary witch. Celeste said that you sent others over here because it's hidden and almost no one knows about it. Who did you send over, exactly?"

Thierry closed his eyes. "I sent over a girl who'd shown up after the attack because she was in a daze, Hannah, Rashel and Quinn, and Thea and Eric. Poppy and James are on their way here from Las Vegas, along with a girl named Gillian and David."

Leah nodded. "Okay." she stepped out of the way for Thierry to pass and then added, "Thierry, I know the witches are doing everything they can. She'll be okay." Thierry flashed a grateful smile before turning around and walking out of his room, room 115.

Shaking her head, Leah left the room to go back to Celeste. The witch looked up from her position at the desk and smiled. "Ah, Leah. How'd it go?"

"Good," Leah said absently. "Hey, Celeste, is anyone else coming?"

Celeste clucked her tongue and scooted backward, leaning over and looking for something. And then she pulled out a clipboard and clucked her tongue again. "Raksha Keller and Galen Drache, along with Morgead Blackthorn and a witch named Dani Aberforth. They're on a mission with Ash Redfern to protect the Wild Power in California. And then there's Poppy North and James Rasmussen. They left Thierry's manor in charge of a vampire called Nissa and Nilsson along with a witch named Winnie.

"And then there's that one boy. Phillip North—Poppy North got him to change his mind and he was studying in a Texan base called Granule and he's coming here with a girl named Carly Griffins." Celeste scanned the list and looked back at Leah. "That's it."

Leah nodded. "Okay. Thierry mentioned a girl who came with Hannah and the others because she was in a daze. Do you know who that is, so I could possibly go see her . . .?" her voice trailed off.

Celeste smiled. "Of course, hon," she murmured, lifting three pages off of her clipboard. "She's in room 274, second floor. I think she should be sleeping, and you can go see her if you want."

"Thanks." Leah turned around and went to the elevator, pressing the button. When the doors opened, she pressed the needed button and waited for it to close. At the last second, a hand was stuck through the doors, cutting them off from closing completely. A girl with dark hair and dark skin came in breathlessly and gave a nod.

"Hi. I'm Carol Hans," she greeted. Leah saw she had a black violet bracelet and immediately felt reassured. "You are?"

"Leah Räv, shapeshifter. How'd you get that?" Leah asked, motioning to the black violet. Black violets were the symbol of lost witches; basically, witches who didn't know they were witches. Leah herself had a black lily necklace she kept underneath her shirt.

Carol looked away. "Um, some guy gave it to me," she said, sounding flustered. "I'm staying here because there was this _thing_ that attacked me. I don't know what it was. The guy saved me and then he gave me this."

Leah nodded. "Do you know who the guy was?" she asked as the elevator climbed to the second floor. Carol shrugged.

"He said his name was Sam," she murmured. "He had a black rose T-shirt and I don't know where he is now."

Leah shook her head. The elevator stopped, opening the doors at the second floor. Leah smiled at the girl called Carol and stepped out, meeting three hallways. Behind her, she heard the elevator doors close and the hum of it rising to the third floor. In front of her was the plat saying **Rooms 135-214**. To the left of her was a plaque saying **Rooms 116-134**. To the right of her was a plaque saying **Rooms 214-277**.

She went right and scanned the individual plates with room numbers on them, until she got to room 247.

There, she pushed open the door.

It was dark. It was basically the same as Thierry's room—there was a small hallway with a kitchen to the left, but instead of a study to the right, there was a small bathroom. Leah walked forward to see that the main room was both a living room and a bedroom. The living room was separated from the bedroom by a half-wall, where a bookcase and chair and a TV were propped up against various parts of the room. Leah turned to look at the girl in the bed.

From what she could tell already from her fox night vision, the girl had dark, almost black hair. The lump where her shoulders held up the covers were rising steadily, the girl herself curled up into a ball. Her heartbeat was light and fluttering, like a rabbit's. She couldn't be over eighteen, same age as Leah.

And Leah had no idea where she was. Leah didn't want to wake her up; she just wanted to find out who she was. Thierry and Celeste both didn't know who she was.

Leah tentatively stretched out a hand and placed it lightly on the girl's shoulder. Even though the pressure wasn't great, a lot of things happened at once. The girl reacted like she'd been shocked by lightning. She jerked up with a single shriek and her hand darted under the pillow.

Leah soon found herself being faced with a can of pepper spray and the finger that determined whether she got a week of eyesore was trembling. So was the girl. Fine tremors were going through her body. She looked clammy and pale and Leah actually saw a trickle of sweat drip down her face.

Okay, so maybe her breathing wasn't as peaceful as Leah had originally thought.

Leah slowly raised her hand and clamped it around the girl's wrist, forcing her to lower the pepper spray. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said slowly, looking directly at the girl.

The girl's chest was heaving. "Who are you?" she gasped, wiping her face.

"I'm Leah Räv, a shapeshifter who's with Circle Daybreak. Who are you?" Leah asked, enunciating her words carefully and deliberately. The girl sighed and her heartbeat slowed down.

"I'm . . . I'm Mary-Lynnette Carter," she murmured, brushing her hair away from her neck. Leah froze as her eyes focused on a pair of small holes in her neck. Oh, God, no wonder she was in a daze. She'd been bitten. "Nice to meet you."

"Why are you here?" Leah asked, unable to tear her gaze from Mary-Lynnette's throat.

"Oh, um. I was waiting for a year. I was at Harvard, and when I came back Briar Creek was gone. Kestrel Redfern told me it had been burned down and she had Mark. My parents—my parents didn't survive, but Jade got my brother Mark out in time." Mary-Lynnette scratched her nose. "And, um, they told me to go find Ash. Ash Redfern, I mean. He's my soulmate. Anyway, I figured he was here instead of the west coast, so here I am."

Leah stiffened even more. "Ash Redfern is in California. With Raksha Keller, Galen Drache, Dani Aberforth and Morgead Blackthorn." Mary-Lynnette sighed and sank down into the covers.

"I had a hope," she murmured. "What's he doing?"

"Fighting a dragon," Leah said seriously. They probably were, anyway. Dragons were waking up all over the place. Mary-Lynnette chuckled as if something about this was funny. "What?" Leah asked despite herself.

Mary-Lynnette chuckled again. "Well, when you said 'fighting a dragon', it reminded me when I told Ash to leave to make up for all his wrongdoings. And he said, 'I'll fight dragons.' Something like that. It just made me laugh."

Leah smiled, just hoping Mary-Lynnette would see and make her smile. "I can see how that would," she murmured. Then she stood up. "Well, Mary-Lynnette, sorry for waking you up. I just wanted to know who you were, since Thierry just referred to you as 'a girl who was in a daze'. So, sweet dreams." She flashed a grin at her. Mary-Lynnette nodded back, a hint of a smile playing around her lips.

Leah turned around and left.

She had to tell Ash about Mary-Lynnette's vampire marks.


	2. Chapter II

**A/N**: Could this be what I think it is? An update? Why, by God I think it is! Thanks to the wonderful **panini999** for being my beta and being oh-so-patient while I got my act together. Or maybe it's the other way around... :3 Hope you enjoy. Oh, and this is before Leah gets to Altar. It's mainly a filler chapter, about Alec and Leah, nothing really else happens. And shtuff. Tell me what you think. Anyone who has reviewed so far is amazingly awesome!

-Fox

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Firefox Apocalyptic

**Chapter II**

**Chapter Quote**: He picked up the fox by the scruff. There was something about those eyes…

_Three days before Leah reached Altar_

Alec Boleyn paced, his face twisted into a scowl. Damn it all! He couldn't believe that they'd let a made vampire get away. Now he was roaming the country, being stupid and going to get himself killed by Daybreak. And he had been a valuable part of his army, too. Sam, his name had been. He had had information on one of Daybreak's most valuable spies—a shapeshifter named Devon White—and a young Circle Midnight witch who was in the camp for healing the injured had let him get away.

Finally, Alec decided on the right thing: killing the witch. He stopped pacing, turned on his heel, and walked out of his room. "Hara!" he called sweetly. The Midnight witch came out of the healing tent, her brow furrowed.

"Yes?" Hara asked, shifting and crossing her arms. Alec could see the bones sticking out of her body but didn't make a note on it. He gestured to the forest behind him.

"Come take a walk with me," he said. Hara touched the side of her neck and shook her head.

"Sorry, Alec, I'm low on blood today and I have other sick humans to heal before you change them with Catherine," Hara apologized. Alec chuckled softly.

"It's not that I'm thirsty, Hara, it's just a nice little conversation. Come take a walk with me. That's an order," he murmured, turning around and striding towards the pine forest. He heard Hara sigh and then a rustle as she ran after him. She caught up to him, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes as they entered the pine forest.

Alec turned around quickly to make sure no one would see them. No one was there. Most of the new vampires were out hunting in Detroit and the humans were resting. There was hardly a doubt that people wouldn't miss Hara.

He and the witch walked silently until Alec was sure they couldn't be heard. "Hara, how's Sam Davison?" he asked amiably. Hara froze and glared at him.

"I'm sure you already know," she retorted calmly. "He escaped."

"How? Who let him escape?" Alec asked, looking up and staring at a pine tree in front of him. Hara shrugged.

"He said he wanted to go . . ." her voice trailed off and her face went blank. "Um, I can't remember. Something about, uh . . ." she stopped trying to say what she wasn't remembering. Alec's face twisted into a scowl. Sam, the bastard, had wiped her memory. Oh, well. If she couldn't remember anything, she was useless. Catherine could heal the humans before he changed them on her own.

Alec turned to Hara. "Hara, look at me," he said calmly. Hara turned, a slight smile on her face, but it disappeared quickly under the intensity of Alec's gaze. Finally, he drew his arm back and gave her an uppercut, his knuckles digging into her chin and his hand pressing against her throat. Along with the blast of Power he sent at her undefended brain, the result was fatal.

Hara fell back onto the ground, but climbed back up, her lip bleeding and otherwise unsteady. Alec sent a small wave of Power. She choked and her eyes rolled back into her head, her body shaking like it was just a bag of bones. Alec narrowed her eyes and grabbed her shoulder, taking advantage of her slow death while her heart was beating.

He licked the witch's neck once and then bit savagely into it, ignoring the flop of Hara's limp body, like a rag doll that couldn't stand on its own. When he was satisfied, Alec merely withdrew his fangs, sending Hara another blast of Power, and turned around, walking out of the forest.

A few hours later, Lucas Fletcher came back from Detroit, leading the newly made vampires, all of them strong from recent feed. Alec smirked, but soon grew sober again. He had business to attend to with Lucas, his trusted friend and advisor. They were going to attack a Circle Daybreak camp, one somewhere in Vermont. Sam Davison had also had knowledge about that center. It was a good thing Alec had killed Hara; maybe no made vampires would be escaping anymore.

Alec smiled as his old friend approached him. "Ah, Lucas, how did it go?" Alec asked. Lucas smirked.

"Very fine, sir. I taught them everything. The vermin didn't know what hit them, I assure you. We are still clean, uncaught and unsuspected," Lucas assured. A smirk of its own grew on Alec's face and he nodded to the forest.

"Here. We'll discuss the attack in the forest, where no one will hear us."

Lucas sniffed, his eyes turning silver. "Wait. Is that . . . is that blood I smell?"

Alec pretended to play along. "Yes." Lucas shot off towards the smell, Alec close behind. They reached the clearing to see Hera's broken, bled-out corpse lying in an awkward position on the ground. Lucas picked the witch up and brushed her hair away from her neck, revealing the small twin holes on the main artery. Lucas dropped her, disappointed that she was bled-out, and stood up to face the gently smiling Alec.

"What did you do to her while we were gone?" Lucas asked, a half-smile on his own face. Alec laughed. Lucas knew him too well, that was the problem.

"She let Sam escape. I was hungry, and she was so full of life . . ." Alec murmured, trailing off. His dark green eyes looked around the forest warily. Lucas laughed for a long time, his red irises glinting. "She deserved it, anyway. Catherine can heal the others on her own. They both had protection spells from newborn made vampires. But I'm part of the lamia, Hunter's chosen one."

Lucas nodded. "I see. So, Alec, tell me. You never did. Why are you building up your own little personal made vampire army?" Alec looked at him, and his eyes darted all over the forest in case there were prying eyes or ears. There was a sharp sound of a twig breaking and Alec bristled, but he couldn't find anyone who was standing besides Lucas, who was looking at his friend as if he had snapped.

"I plan on invading a Daybreak base called Altar," he said quietly. "Everyone is there—the girl, Thierry . . . and I am nearly positive that Devon White is there, too. All these made vampires, once I have trained them well enough, will be all too willing to murder Daybreak, and then the time of the vampires shall be upon us yet again. And Devon White, Thierry and anyone else who stands in our way will be crushed. And that Ash Redfern," he spat the name, "will _die_. I will go through every human girl and see if she is his soulmate. He has disgraced the Redfern family with falling in love with vermin. I, too, am positive that his soulmate is hiding in Altar."

Lucas gave him another half-smile at his elder. Alec had been born a vampire in Hunter Redfern's family; the son of Garnet, the eldest of Hunter's daughters. Therefore Hunter considered him his own son and was proud of him that he hadn't given in to the stupid idea of the soulmate principal. Lucas had been made back in the era of the Titanic.

"Who is the girl you speak of?"

Alec shrugged. "I don't know. She had delicious blood, though. I can't get the taste out of my head."

Another twig snapped again and Alec turned around to see a black fox with brown, gold-flecked eyes staring at him through the underbrush. He hissed and suddenly realized everything. The fox had heard everything.

The fox, realizing that it had been found, darted across the clearing. Alec ran after it, and the animal was no match for vampire speed. Alec picked up the poor thing by the scruff and brought it around to face him. The fox hissed and clawed at his face, Alec merely grabbed a paw and squeezed hard enough to break the bones. The fox whimpered and Alec checked something. She was holding the paw that he had stoved as if it were injured, which it should've been. But she met his eyes defiantly.

There was something about those eyes . . . they reminded Alec of someone. But he pushed the memory back and hissed at her again. After making sure that it was indeed a fox and not a shapeshifter for Daybreak's side, he let it go. When she hit the ground, she glared at the lamia and looked like she wanted to attack him. Eventually she disappeared back into the undergrowth.

Lucas stared at Alec when he came back to the clearing, bewildered. Hara's body was gone. "What was that about?"

"Where's Hara's corpse?" he asked.

Lucas shrugged. "I gave her to Catherine and explained what happened. Then I came back here. Now, pray tell, what is it that you hate your cousin so much? Ash Redfern?"

Alec narrowed his eyes and decided to answer his friend's first question. "I thought that fox was a shapeshifter. She had the strangest eyes I had ever seen for a fox in my long life, but after conducting some tests I found that it was just a fox, nothing more, just looking for food."

"You probed its mind," Lucas said dryly. Alec nodded, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yes. I did. But if you want to know why I loathe Ash Redfern and Delos Redfern, they both disgrace the Redfern line. John Quinn, too, but he was never a part of the actual Redfern blood. Hunter changed him. But the point is that I hate them with a passion because they decided to fall in love with a human. Vermin. All part of Circle Daybreak. They decided to fall in love with a human associated with Circle Daybreak. That is just simply despicable. Do you have any more questions?"

Lucas furrowed his brow. "Ash Redfern? Isn't he the notorious playboy Redfern who was too lazy to do anything?"

"Hmm, yes. Ash was the lamia that was sent after his sisters in Washington or California or something. That's where he decided to fall in love with a vermin girl. The soulmate principal is just a rumor disguising vermin finding out about us and constant rule breaking. The Council isn't doing anything about it, which is even worse."

"You should become a debater," Lucas said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. Alec rolled his eyes. "Tell me. A newborn is curious. Are you related to the Boleyn girls in any way?"

Alec looked at him scathingly. "Of course not. Who is the newborn?" Lucas just grinned at him. Alec rolled his eyes. "Lucas, you can't blame an innocent newborn on your curiosity. We might lose a valuable tool in this. Altar is the third most-important base, behind Harmony and Thierry's house itself, and therefore well-guarded."

"Witch spells don't count as _well-guarded_, Alec," Lucas murmured, crossing his hands behind his back. "So. Shall we go back to the camp, now that we are done here?"

Alec nodded. He turned around with his old friend and walked out of the forest.

The fox's face was still in his thoughts.


End file.
